florid poem by Col. J. J. von Scheler in honor of the 54th birthday [when you're an enlightened despit, it doesn't have to be a round number] of Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg
Small folio from the presses of Court Printer Christoph Friedrich Cotta the elder, Stuttgart
Among the beauties of traditional printing, as book historians know, are the distinctive character and robust materiality.
Note here, the tactile quality of the rag paper (photo 1), the deep impression of type and ornament (2) and the way the border is assembled from individual ornamental pieces (3)